Misano MotoGP preview

Since the world championship returned to Misano in 2007 Yamaha has held sway, with five victories out of seven in the premier class, the last three in a row to Jorge Lorenzo. Unsurprisingly, after his brilliant Silverstone performance, the Spaniard thinks this Sunday could be Yamaha's moment.

“Misano could definitely be the place to aim for the win, but I don't want to obsess about it,” says Lorenzo. “I won't do anything crazy, I'll just try to do my best and show our best performance.

“If I can't win, another podium would be nice. I think we're at the best level we've been this year and we're doing a fantastic job with the team. The bike works well and, to me, Misano is a really lovely track because of its quick lay-out and plenty of fast corners.”

Casey Stoner was the first winner at the new Misano for Ducati, Valentino Rossi thrilled his huge local support with successive wins in 2008-09 and Dani Pedrosa claimed Honda's lone success at Misano since then in 2010.

The 4.226km layout is a very different challenge from the Silverstone expanses, as Pedrosa points out: “It's a short lap but intense with many overtaking points and it's quite bumpy, so set-up is key.”

His teammate Marc Marquez returned to winning ways in England: he has already matched Rossi's tally of 11 in a season (2002, 2005) and victory in Italy would see the 21-year-old Spaniard equal our own Mick Doohan's all-time record of 12 in a single season, set in 1997.

Speaking of Rossi, one of the most consistent finishers this season, fourth place or higher will be enough to add another piece of history to the Italian veteran's astonishing record: it would carry him past 5000 points across all classes, the first rider ever to achieve that tally in world championship history.

The Misano lap record belongs to Lorenzo, a 1:33.906 (162km/h) from three seasons ago.

Moto2: Three on the bounce?
Marc VDS Racing arrives in Italy on a high after two straight 1-2 finishes for Tito Rabat and Mika Kallio. Rabat's Silverstone win last time out was the 31st for Kalex, making them the most successful manufacturer in Moto2 history, now one ahead of Suter.

Rabat has a 17pt cushion over his veteran teammate, but Kallio has been on the podium at the last five rounds and is arguably in the form of his long racing life. It seems odds-on a Marc VDS man taking the tile: third-placed Maverick Viñales is 50pts adrift of Kallio but is also in top form with four podiums in the last six rounds.

Nico Terol, winner at Misano on a 125cc Aprilia three years ago, is back after recovering from a recurrence of the muscle fatigue that hampered him last year, while Ratthapark Wilairot comes into the AirAsia Caterham line-up to replace Josh Herrin for the remainder of the season.

Pol Espargaro on a Kalex set the existing Moto2 lap record at Misano last season with a 1:38.070 (155.1km/h).

Moto3: Big names for Aussie fans to follow
In Moto3 Australians will once again have two riders to look out for at Misano. One, of course, is Jack Miller, hoping to improve on his fifth and sixth places in his last two outings and extend the 13pt margin he currently enjoys over the younger Marquez, Alex. Marc's brother is the current lap record-holder at Misano with a 1:43.293 (147.s km/h) set on his way to third place last season.

For Miller it's a milestone weekend: his 50th Grand Prix – already! "We are prepared for Misano, a special circuit for me,” he says. “It was there that I completed my first race, after debuting in a grand prix event one round before in Germany. It's a circuit that I like and that suits my riding style well, and is also one of those tracks where I enjoy riding. Last year I had a good result there, with a fifth place. I like the track more than Silverstone, so I'm looking forward to it."

The other Aussie to look out for carries one of the biggest names in Australian sporting history: Gardner. The 1987 world champion Wayne's son Remy, now 16, is set for his world championship debut as a replacement for Kiefer Racing's injured Luca Grunwald. It will be a perfect chance for Remy, currently gathering experience in the competitive CEV series in Spain, to size up the Moto3 scene before he appears as a wildcard at the Australian Grand Prix in October.

“I'm going to grab the opportunity with both hands and make the most of it,” says Gardner. “I'm hoping to learn as much as I can this weekend. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself – as long as I know I've done my best I'll be satisfied.”
In Moto3/125cc seven different riders have won the seven Misano races since 2007, with KTM taking the honours in the last two years thanks to Sandro Cortese and, last year, Alex Rins.